What a scene will occur at the sounding of the Lord's trumpet! The "dead in Christ" will emerge from their resting places all over the earth and soar into the sky; these saints' resurrected bodies will reunite with their spirits, which will have been residing in heaven with Jesus. Close behind them will follow believers who haven't yet departed this life--at that moment, they'll miraculously be changed as they are "caught up . . . to meet the Lord in the air" (1 Thess. 4:16-17).

The description sounds extraordinary, but in fact, the plan is practical. We're going to need a body with which to enjoy the new heaven and new earth that Jesus is preparing for His followers. However, earthly flesh and bones will not do. They age, break, and succumb to sin. So God promised to transform our humble structures into glorious bodies like the one Christ had after His resurrection. Common temptations and limitations will be gone. In addition, our physical substance will be altered so that we are not restricted by time and space. Remember, Jesus didn't bother with doors (John 20:19)! Our new bodies will be suited for the environment where we are to dwell forever--an ageless eternity in which all of our needs are perfectly met.

Each believer will still be him- or herself. Friends and family long separated will recognize one another; our personalities will be unchanged, except that we'll be absolutely sinless. At last, you and I will be the persons that God intends for us to be. And we'll be housed in a body fashioned like that of Christ--perfect, sinless, and complete.

The Word of God teaches that physical death is the beginning of a new existence for believers. The Lord has prepared an eternal home where those who honor His name can rejoice forever. The condition for entry is simple: believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins, and receive His forgiveness.

Some people regard this prerequisite for admittance as narrow-minded. Hanging a "For Believers Only" sign on a place as special as heaven seems unfair to them. God set up that limitation for a reason. All the way back in the Garden of Eden, He laid down a law to protect His creation: Do not disobey Me. The penalty for breaking that command is death.

Of course, we all violate the law because we are flawed human beings. In order to save people from the consequence of their wrongdoing, God sent His Son Jesus Christ to shoulder all of our sin and die in our place. Our Savior fulfilled the law while taking our punishment. The good news is that He did not remain in the grave--Christ arose victoriously after three days!

God promised in His Word that those who receive Jesus Christ as Savior share in His resurrection. When a believer dies, the heavenly gate swings open, and he or she has the same triumph over death that Jesus did. This means that when we leave this world, we do not simply disappear into vapor. We continue serving the Lord in heaven.

Death is not the end. It's the moment we claim our ultimate victory over the lord of this world, Satan, by entering God's presence forever.

Countless people wear a cross because it symbolizes Christianity. But few fully grasp the depth of love that it represents.

The cross stands for what is arguably history's most painful method of execution. Crucifixion usually began with two soldiers flogging the criminal from the front and back. They used a strap with three leather cords, each containing a piece of embedded bone that tore flesh to ribbons. No wonder Jesus fell and struggled to carry His cross after such treatment.

The soldiers then hammered a long square nail into the hands or wrists; this shape would heighten the already excruciating pain. Another nail was driven through the ankles into the wood. Raising the cross, executioners would then drop it into a hole in the ground, the "thud" further tearing flesh. In order to breathe, the convicted man had to push up on his bloody ankles.

Jesus was God, but He was also fully man. So He experienced the physical agony any human would feel at such brutality. On top of that, He felt emotional and spiritual anguish because the nation rejected Him and His disciples denied Him. Worst of all, when He took our sin upon Himself, the Father turned away (Matt. 27:46; 2 Cor. 5:21). Yet Jesus didn't see Himself as a victim; He willingly offered His blood on our behalf and considered it a joy (Heb. 12:2). No greater love exists.

Take time to consider all that Jesus endured on the cross for your sake. As you begin to grasp the enormity of His sacrifice, thank Him for His boundless love. 

***

"On Love"

"Love is the fulfilment of all our works. There is the goal; that is why we run: we run toward it, and once we reach it, in it we shall find rest." 
--Augustine of Hippo

"If I put my own good name before the other's highest good, then I know nothing of Calvary love." 
--Amy Carmichael

"But it is doubtless true, and evident from these Scriptures, that the essence of all true religion lies in holy love; and that in this divine affection, and an habitual disposition to it, and that light which is the foundation of it, and those things which are the fruits of it, consists the whole of religion." 
--Jonathan Edwards

"A wise lover values not so much the gift of the lover as the love of the giver." 
--Thomas à Kempis

"When I have learnt to love God better than my earthly dearest, I shall love my earthly dearest better than I do now." 
--C. S. Lewis

"Joy is love exalted; peace is love in repose; long-suffering is love enduring; gentleness is love in society; goodness is love in action; faith is love on the battlefield; meekness is love in school; and temperance is love in training." 
--D. L. Moody

"Love is the greatest thing that God can give us for Himself is love: and it is the greatest thing we can give to God." 
--Jeremy Taylor